Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick poses for a quick picture with a Claremont Academy student before continuing a discussion about the student's future academic plans during the governor's visit to Claremont Academy on Friday, May 9.

A Congressional failure this year to reauthorize spending from the federal highway trust could “slow or stall” as much as 50 percent of the bridge projects his administration has lined up, including critical repairs to the I-91 viaduct leading to Springfield, Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday.

“There’s so much to do and it’s vital work and it creates jobs as well,” Patrick said.

The governor singled out the Springfield project, which is the main artery into downtown Springfield that also connects Connecticut to the Pioneer Valley, as one that “needs to start” and is dependent on 50 percent federal reimbursement. “If it doesn’t start soon the roadway will have to close and that is huge,” Patrick said on WGBH radio Thursday.

The federal highway trust fund is expected to run out of money as soon as this summer without Congressional action. President Barack Obama was in New York on Wednesday standing in front of the soon-to-be-replaced Tappan Zee Bridge where he railed against Republicans for politicizing what used to be issues of bipartisan agreement – infrastructure funding.

In defense of the president, Patrick went on MSNBC on Wednesday night with host Al Sharpton to argue that his strategy of investing in infrastructure, along with education and innovation, helped Massachusetts emerged strongly out of the recession. Patrick said states can only do so much on their own without the federal government as a partner. “This notion that you can grow an economy in the modern information age by just cutting taxes, crushing unions, and wait is a failed strategy. It’s a stale rhetorical point,” Patrick said.